ELCA Vault - Room 23

. . .During this Mainline self-destruction, evangelicals quietly but steadily grew in numbers, filling the void left by Mainline retreat and elevated by Billy Graham revivals, the founding of Christianity Today, the increasing stature of evangelical colleges and seminaries, and by an explosion in entrepreneurial parachurch ministries, especially on secular college campuses, many of which were previously Mainline Protestant institutions. . .

. . .a denomination that grows bolder each day in repudiating the teachings of the Bible and the Lutheran Confessions we say are the bedrock of our faith, that subtly denies the kingship of Jesus in favor of getting along with a pluralistic world. . .

. . .ELCA Seminary leaders pledged to speak out and act on current issues of racial injustice. In a statement released February 2, 2015, the presidents and deans, representing all eight Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) theological schools, recognized the continuing racial oppression and injustice, and made a commitment to publicly confront lingering examples of injustice “in vigorous and prophetic ways in our schools.”. .

. . .Lying to sway an audience, as Raheb does in this statement, portrays more about the dubious agenda and lack of integrity in the ‘Christian’ Palestinian leadership then it does about the Jewish nation of Israel. . .

. . .ISNA’s relationship with the ECLA has been long and beneficial. Partnerships on Middle East peace efforts, attending ISNA’s national convention and interfaith events, and serving on the Shoulder to Shoulder steering committee are just a few examples of this history of working together. . .

. . .I visited an ELCA church today. I wandered down the hall to the adult class and picked up a copy of what they were teaching. What they were teaching was not Christianity. This would not bother me so much if it was not being taught under the banner of the truth of the Christian faith. . .

. . .Borg was frank about rejecting nearly all core Christian beliefs. The “pre-Easter Jesus is a figure of the past, dead and gone. He isn’t anywhere,” with talk about his corpse or an empty tomb merely “irrelevant distractions.” Only an arrogant, delusional Jesus would have claimed divinity or predicted resurrection, Borg noted. . .

. . .facing eight first-degree, three second-degree, two third-degree and three fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct charges. Morey was a pastor at Calvary Lutheran Church in Winger, Immanuel Lutheran Church in Bejou and Our Savior's Lutheran Church in McIntosh. . . Morey remains on the ELCA clergy roster, but has been asked to cease functioning as a pastor pending the outcome of the court proceedings in Clearwater County. . .Morey is accused of engaging in sexual contact with three juvenile males. . .

. . .The question for lay church members and all Lutherans is serious. How are we to function when our constitutions cannot be interpreted by the law and when leaders are immune from the law but do not hesitate to use their protected status and the law to attack church members? . .

. . .a great many ELCAns who really ought to know better try to justify their failure to stand up for the authentic Gospel by unashamedly placing the institution ahead of the Word of God and, in many cases, their own ordination oaths. So at least it always seemed safe to assume that such ELCA ecclesiolators would respect the authority of the hierarchy of other denominations. . .

. . .our response to God’s Radical Hospitality includes welcoming and including all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered believers in all aspects of the life of the Church and its congregations. Therefore the Florida-Bahamas Synod became a Reconciling in Christ Synod...Now that same-gender marriage will be consistent with Florida state law, the ELCA social statement provides room for ELCA pastors to perform same-gender marriage ceremonies and for congregations to consider providing for same-gender marriage ceremonies as part of the congregation’s best pastoral care for same-gender couples. . .

. . .In support of its longstanding commitment to inclusiveness, Reformation Lutheran Church has revised its wedding policy to include same-gender couples who want to marry in their church located in Columbia’s historic Earlewood Park. This move comes as a result of the new Federal court ruling that eliminates the ban on same-gender couples becoming legally married in our state. . .

. . .Progressives conspire to foment distrust among God’s children. Many of His churches stand with the progressive left and denounce those charged to protect and serve. ELCA leaders demonstrate to bring attention to homicides "committed" by police, inferring that crimes were committed by police. . .

. . .More than 100 people were at Sunday’s final service. It was an unusual sight in a church that usually saw fewer than 25 people for Sunday mass.Parishioners voted unanimously to close the church, due to finances and an aging congregation. . .

. . .According to a pamphlet all on-campus students received, only 15 sleepovers can be had per semester. This rule applies to Concordia students and non-Concordia students alike. No matter what age or gender, guests must be signed in by their host student at the hall desk and note the duration of the visit. . .

. . .Shurat Hadin has provided the IRS with “documentary and video evidence showing PCUSA delegates meeting with the US-designated terrorist group Hezbollah, publishing anti-Semitic materials, enacting a racist policy to divest from American companies doing business with Israel, lobbying the US Congress, and distributing political advocacy materials in violation of its tax-exempt status as a religious organization,” Jpost reports. . .

. . .It reminds me of an ELCA Churchwide Assembly I attended. Everyday there would be this sexually ambiguous person sitting in front of the gathering area with a sign reading, "I am a transgendered Lutheran. Let me tell you my story." I just wanted to say, "No. You're story is between you and God. If you have to tell someone, talk to your pastor or a counselor. . .

. . . longstanding concerns that convinced departing congregations that they no longer had a home in their denominations that Carthage College researchers found were:• "Bullying" tactics by denominational leaders.• A perceived abandonment of foundational principles of Scripture and tradition.• The devaluation of personal faith.". .

. . .The North American Lutheran Church was formed in reaction to the decisions of 2009 Churchwide Assembly and stands in opposition to the Assembly’s decisions regarding human sexuality. Therefore this new church is, by its own intent and confession, a schismatic organization, one that has intentionally separated from the ELCA. . .

. . .I've found the ELCA which accepts me for who I am, and I have a school and a team that lift me up and support me as a student, an athlete, and a citizen. I feel like I can finally have a normal relationship with God. I don't have to fear condemnation and hell. I know I can be loved without changing. . .

. . .Last week’s theme was “Let My People Go” and, based on the input of many highly politicized non-governmental organizations (NGOs), called for the release of all Palestinian “political prisoners” held by Israel. This, in WCC’s definition, includes those convicted of murder and other acts of terrorism against civilians. . .

. . .The third and final day of the retreat featured a presentation from one of Augsburg’s own student groups: Queer Pride Alliance (QPA). The group works on campus to promote visibility and build connections within the LGBTQIA community. . .

Here’s more evidence of this country’s plunge into the moral abyss, including in the professing Christian church.A conference is coming up in November 2014 to promote the acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (and surely other) forms of sexual immorality within the Christian church. . .

. . .Her theology is heretical and her beliefs are immoral (see here) and what comes out of her mouth is ugly. ("What goes into someone's mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them." - Mathew 15:11). . .

The point of all the “further study” on matters of human sexuality, no matter the denomination, is simply to provide a path for eventual “normalizing” of those things which God’s Word condemns as sin. Once the goal of acceptance, and then dominance, has been achieved through ecclesiastical political maneuvering, there will be no need for “further study.”. .

. . .The real losers in all this are those who sit in ELCA pews, believing that they are being fed the bread of life, when they are simply buying in to the secular rhetoric spewed by the leadership of the ELCA. The devil himself could not come up with a better plan to lead the faithful into the abyss. . .

The churchwide organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America had expenses greater than operating revenue and support in current operating funds for the six-month period ended July 31, 2014, an unfavorable variance of $1.6 million compared to the six months ending July 31, 2013. . .

. . .But before all that, the Rev. Nancy Kraft, the church’s pastor, welcomed everybody with what sounded like a shout that mixed joy and relief. That brought a standing ovation, then hearty applause, and then some foot-stomping. . .

. . .Crony Christianity is the collaborative arrangement between government and Christian faith-based organizations whereby government funds Christian organizations to deliver goods and services that advance the political agenda of the government. Any government. . .

. . .While pro-Israel groups appear to be an issue for Augsburg, anti-Israel groups have been granted approval.The college, for instance, currently has a Muslim Student Association, chapters of which advocate boycotts of Israel and other measures that critics deem anti-Israel. . .

. . .you may have seen a bright exhibit of all things gay and happy. History and Gender, Women, and Sexuality Professor Kate Wittenstein’s Queer History and Culture class has put together an exhibit of all things queer and LGBTQA related at Gustavus over its lengthy history as a college. . .

. . .But earlier this year, with its members aging, the congregation disbanded. They turned over their church building and 4 acres of prime land fronting Hwy. 100 to the Minneapolis Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). . .

. . . it was a bewildering thought to me how a professor of theology who was an ordained pastor and practicing Christian could blatantly admit no belief in the devil--especially in light of what Jesus revealed to us in Scripture. Yet, as time progressed, and I learned more, I began to understand.

I also found out, my college professor was not alone. More and more folks in the "progressive" strain of Christianity do not believe in the devil, Satan, or even hell. . .

. . .This week the leader of that other Lutheran denomination spoke at an American Muslim conference to a group which is committed to "non-violent Jihad." She didn't preach salvation through Christ; she talked about how Muslims and Lutherans are facing the same issues Really. Really? Really! Could it be that in the afterlife voices will rise up from Hades saying, "Thank you for treating me and my religious beliefs with fairness and equity. But I really wish now you would have given me the gospel for the redemption of my soul instead." . .

. . . Daily we see and hear the evidence of a rapidly changing climate. Glaciers are disappearing, the polar ice cap is melting, and sea levels are rising. Incidents of pollution-created dead zones in seas and the ocean and toxic algae growth in water supplies are occurring with greater frequency. Most disturbingly, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is rising at an unprecedented rate. . .

. . . the Christian Left typically starts by excluding mentions of “sin,” “Hell,” and “transformation” from their sermons, lectures or Sunday school lessons. This way, the need to address and turn away from immorality is intentionally avoided. Next, they incite confusion in Millennials’ minds regarding the clarity of Scripture. . .

. . .When we--members of the ELCA or human beings, in general--reserve the right to call our own shots irrespective of God's revealed will in Scripture, we become our own gods and that is a violation of the first and most basic commandment, the one that inheres in each of the other nine: "You shall have no other gods before Me.". . .

. . .The Church too has a chain of command! – sadly most Christians feel no obligation to follow our Commander in Chief – even to death, even though He died for them!Heck, most Christians don’t acknowledge there is even a war going on! Totally oblivious they wander “battlefield earth,” with all its trials and temptations and dangers unprepared. . .

The presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America had a simple comparison for the similarities between Muslims and Lutherans when she spoke at the opening session of the Islamic Society of North America's convention Friday. . .

. . .nothing clears up uncertainty about staying or leaving more quickly than being dismissed from one’s job at an ELCA seminary in spite of being the most distinguished systematic theologian in its seminaries. Yeago is no longer in impaired communion in the ELCA. . .

. . .The Justice Department recently implicated ISNA, which claims to be America’s largest Muslim organization, as the lead conduit in a scheme to illegally pass on $12 million to Hamas, the Palestinian terror group established to annihilate the State of Israel. Hamas is officially designated a terrorist group by the US government. . .

. . ."A lot of things were going on in the ELCA that most members were not in agreement with," Nath said.Carson said many of the younger members of the church wanted to leave the ELCA. Those members said they wanted to follow what the Bible teaches, Carson said. . .

. . .Robert O. Smith, Program Director for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America/Middle East and North Africa, and co-moderator of the Palestine-Israel Ecumenical Forum of the World Council of Churches...portrays American Christian Zionist leaders as "lunatics, heralding God's judgments with an apocalyptic literalism," yet he fails to make any case against the validity of Christian Zionism. He opportunely ignores the historic Jewish struggle against Arab nationalism and voices such as that of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and the Muslim Brotherhood's Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, both of whom have called for the death of all Jews. . .

. . .We do not hesitate to call these ELCA pastors “apostates who hate Jesus.” This is not a judgment on the inner attitudes of their hearts, but rather on their public confession. By their own confession, they have abandoned God’s Word as the Truth. It is not possible for them to have a ministry that is in any way, shape or form “Lutheran” while denying the Word of Christ and embracing the doctrines of demons. . .